


Happily Ever After

by Zerrat



Category: Final Fantasy X & Final Fantasy X-2
Genre: Community: ff_land, F/M, Fluff, Happy Ending, Introspection, Post-Game(s), Rebuilding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-09
Updated: 2012-04-09
Packaged: 2017-11-03 08:37:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/379438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zerrat/pseuds/Zerrat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tidus begins work on his second life on Spira, and Yuna reflects on just how much that second chance means to her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Happily Ever After

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 2011 Valentines Day Competition for the landcomm ff_land/ultima_arena, so it's understandably sappy.

Yuna carefully picked her way past the overgrown jungle that had crept up on Besaid village’s edges, and down the slope towards the ruins of an old hut. Back before the Eternal Calm, the hut had been gutted by one of Sin’s attacks, and in despair the owners had simply never rebuilt. 

She caught a glimpse of tanned skin, of bleached blond hair. Tidus, however, seemed to relish the challenge of renewal, of upsetting the status quo of the village. She supposed that had been why he’d chosen such a derelict building site – well, that and it was a stone’s throw away from the island’s sandy beaches. 

He was an avid blitzer even when choosing real estate, Yuna noted with a small laugh, as she came up behind him. 

“How goes the project?” Yuna asked, her voice low, as she wrapped her arms about his waist and pressed herself against his bare back – he’d probably ditched his shirt long ago. His body was hot from the physical labor of the new hut’s construction, and strands of hair were sticking to the back of his neck.

“This is your idea of helping me? Being a part of my cheer squad?” Tidus complained, as his fingers – a little bruised from one too many misfires with the hammer – stroked the back of her hands. They felt real, solid. As if he’d never been just illusory magic of the Fayth.

Yuna stifled a laugh as he continued to bluster in an overly dramatic fashion. She supposed she _had_ promised to give him a hand with this new project of his, but aside from fetching tools from Wakka and the occasional word of support, she hadn’t really done a lot. 

“Yeah, that’s totally right. I’m calling you on your promise, Lady Summoner. What would everyone say about you shirking your duties? Huh?” Tidus gently peeled himself away from her embrace, tutting like an old Yevonite in the presence of a machina.

Yuna smiled as she watched Tidus go back to work, humming an off-tune song to himself and grabbing a few extra nails. The sun gleamed in his golden hair, and he always seemed so vibrant and full of energy, in spite of his difficult task.

Since the events of Vegnagun, and Tidus’ return to Besaid, Yuna hadn’t found herself on many adventures, nor pulled into the still shaky landscape of Spira’s politics. In spite of all the thrills and excitement of the year before, she was… content with that. In becoming a part of the Gullwings, she’d had her chance to explore a Spira she’d once never dreamed was possible. She could go the distance, on her own two feet.

She’d proven to herself that she could live her life without Tidus. But now, she didn’t have to. 

Even so, a part of her did miss the sphere hunting, the thrill of danger, the mystery of areas unexplored for centuries. Last time she’d talked to Rikku on the CommSphere, her cousin had been muttering about YRP meeting up for one last hurrah. Something about an old tower…

“But… Why do you want to build this hut so badly?” Yuna asked him, turning her thoughts back to Tidus. She let her voice become a little more teasing as she added, “Isn’t Lulu and Wakka’s tent big enough for you?”

Tidus snorted, feigning indignation. 

“‘Always’ is a _really_ long time when you’re sleeping in a newlywed couple’s hut!” His expression soured. “And having to share a shower with Wakka isn’t something I’d wish on my worst enemy. That red hair of his gets everywhere. Part Behemoth, I swear…”

Yuna hummed a non-committal response, her mind drifting back to that promise they’d made, in the waters of Lake Macalania. _Not to the end. Always._

But always had come far too soon, and her victory over Sin had been bittersweet. So many people had been lost, all as a part of that victory’s cost. Her father, Sir Auron, Sir Jecht, Tidus – but unlike so many others who’d lost their loved ones, Yuna had gotten her second chance. 

Yuna watched Tidus measure out lengths of wood for the next section of the hut, watched the intense look of concentration in his blue eyes. Tidus was no handyman, but he’d insisted that he’d complete this project with his own two hands. She watched him awkwardly grab the saw he’d borrowed from Wakka. Three years ago, she might have thought it was Tidus simply wanting to prove that he could do something like this, either to himself or to his father. 

There was something more to it, though. She remembered what he’d said, on the beach at the Zanarkand ruins, back when he’d first returned to Spira. The feeling of being scattered, then redefined to make _him_ again…

This whole hut project of his was probably another way he was trying to hold onto reality, to show himself that he wasn’t going anywhere. After all, he couldn’t leave when he had a real home to hold onto. It seemed silly, but it seemed… right. 

Yuna felt her throat constrict a little, her eyes suddenly stinging. 

The sound of the saw paused for a moment, and Yuna looked up. Tidus had dropped the tool, flinging a towel around his neck and using it to wipe the sweat from his forehead. He closed the distance between them quickly, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and pulling her close. 

“I’ve been thinking, Yuna.” His voice was deliberately lighthearted as he kissed the top of her head. “When this place is all done, did you wanna move in with me?”

Yuna listened to the steady pounding of his heart in his chest, closing her eyes and focusing on the sinewy warmth of his body. He was as real as he could be, wasn’t he? She was just being melancholy. By the slight hitch in Tidus’ breath, she’d managed to set his tears off, too. 

“Of course I would,” she told him, tightening her hold and wiping away her tears. “Always.”


End file.
